The Sentinel
by Kayle5
Summary: Mori was always the strong, silent one - the sentinel that people looked to for protection. How will he cope when Haruhi risks her life protecting him, instead? Haruhi/Mori.
1. Chapter 1

The bustling city of Bunkyo, Tokyo was in the midst of an exceptionally harsh winter. Citizens fought back against the inclement weather, attempting to go about their daily lives despite the bitter winds and staggering snowfall. For commoners, shoveling oneself a path to a desired destination was an exhausting task - one not shared by those fortunate enough, and rich enough, to hire a full team of commoners to do the dirty work for them.

As she fit firmly into the first category, it was an exhausted and exceptionally grumpy Haruhi Fujioka who walked into Music Room #3. The snow that had accumulated on her parka had already begun to melt and soak through. Annoyed, she pulled off her extra layers and hung them on an elaborate coat rack next to the door.

"Haruhi! Haruhi! How do I look?"

Turning, she got an eyeful of her sempai wearing a full-body red and white skin suit, complete with finned silver helmet. Haruhi wasn't quite sure how to go about answering his question, so she simply stated, "Like a doofus." Even though she couldn't see Tamaki's face underneath his head wear, she was willing to bet a hundred yen that he was pouting.

"Ultraman is no doofus! He's a figurehead of Japanese pop culture - _the _Japanese superhero!" He retorted, characteristically dramatic. "Don't tell me you've never watched it? It's classic television!"

Haruhi sighed, picking up the bag carrying her host costume for the day. "You know I'm not much of a TV person. And I don't know how attractive that get-up will be to any of the guests."

"Ahh, my dear Haruhi " - she could practically hear the dreamy grin crawling across his face - "didn't you see the stupendous and heartrending final episode, 'Farewell Ultraman', in which he sacrifices his own life to save Hayata? The episode is a piece of art, I tell you - I watched it nearly twenty times when I still lived in France and it would always bring tears to my eyes, without fail. Channeling the tragic energy of Ultraman's final moments, I'll be sure to..."

Realizing Tamaki wasn't likely to stop until the club opened for the day and that she had no idea what he was talking about (not that she really cared), Haruhi decided to take her leave. She could hear him still rambling on even as she reached the dressing room.

_Wonder what the damage is today, _she thought, unzipping the laundry bag that contained her costume. She couldn't resist groaning when she pulled out a low-cut crimson leotard with matching tights, boots, gloves, cape, and pointy mask...thing. Haruhi had no idea what she was looking at, or even which superhero the outfit represented, but she wasn't putting the damn thing on. Shoving the costume back into the bag, she headed back into the main room.

She almost immediately encountered the twins, lounging on a loveseat. Hikaru and Kaoru - surprising exactly no one - were dressed as the Wonder Twins in order to fit the superhero theme-of-the-day, going as far as to dye their hair black to go with the purple spandex - and matching rings, of course.

"How's it goin', Haruhi?" They chorused.

"Why aren't you dressed yet?" Hikaru questioned. "The girls are gonna be here any minute now."

"Well, whoever came up with the theme for the day managed to forget the fact that everyone still thinks I'm a boy."

The twins both grinned cat-like grins. "Can we see?"

Haruhi shrugged, hanging over the bag. "Go hog wild. I can't use it."

Leaving the boys to their twisted fantasies, Haruhi moved on. She next spotted Hunny who was dressed as the God of Thunder himself, Thor. His mop of blonde hair stuck out under his winged helm and he held Usa-chan in one hand and a replica of the hammer Mjolnir in the other. When he caught her eye and smiled sloppily, Haruhi felt her heart lift a little.

"Haru-chan~" Honey sing-songed as he bounced over to her, hugging her in greeting. Haruhi found herself returning the embrace without even thinking.

Hunny stepped back and struck a pose. "So how do I look? Godly, huh?"

Haruhi was fairly certain he would look like a cherub no matter how fearsome his outfit, but she just never could bring herself to be quite as derisively blunt with Honey-sempai as some of the other hosts. So she simply replied, "definitely." The God of Thunder squealed happily.

It was only then that she remembered what she was doing. "Oh, do you know who came up with today's cosplay idea?"

Hunny blinked. "I think it was Kyouya."

_The Shadow King came up with the idea for us to dress like superheroes? What's his motive? _Haruhi sighed and thanked Honey before moving on.

It was only then that she caught sight of him, lounging in a bay window.

Mori stretched out his long legs as he lounged, quietly observing the pre-club activity of the hosts. Most of his attention was focused on Honey, who was eating a strawberry shortcake that Haruhi could have sworn wasn't there two seconds ago.

Haruhi's gaze must have rested on him for a moment too long, as Mori took notice and turned to her. She started, then offered a small smile and a wave. "You never struck me as the kind of guy to wear his underwear out in public."

The corners of his mouth twitched. "Only on the days I think I can get away with it."

Haruhi couldn't help but laugh. "Mori-sempai, I don't think I've ever heard you make a joke before!"

"Hn." He quickly reverted back to monosyllables, but Haruhi could've sworn he looked embarrassed.

"So Superman, huh?" Haruhi ran his silken red cape through her fingers. "It suits you."

"Hn." This time he looked rather pleased.

_He's wearing a different cologne than usual, _she thought before she could help herself. Standing in close proximity to him, Haruhi couldn't help but notice his unusually spicy scent. _I wonder why he switched things up. A girl, maybe?_ At that, she released his cape. Her thoughts were heading in a direction she had attempted to train herself to avoid, in a direction that she wasn't entirely sure she understood.

Because, well... Haruhi was pretty sure she was crushing hard on her quiet, kind sempai. Not that she knew much about such matters of the heart, but she had spent a lot of time pondering and eliminating other possibilities for her strange behavior when she was around Mori. Deflecting Tamaki's affections was a cinch - the whole father-daughter dynamic he tried so hard to foster was a total turn-off. The twins often flirted with her, and could even be protective of her when the situation called for it. However, she was fairly sure that their feelings towards her were more that of an amusing play thing than they were that of men for a woman.

She hoped.

Honey had essentially filled the role of the younger (older?) brother that she had never had. Kyouya was... well, Kyouya.

Mori, on the other hand, brought her comfort with his very presence. She counted on his solidity and predictability to help ground her when the oftentimes baffling world of Ouran High threatened to overwhelm. She had at first thought that her attraction to him was simply that.

She soon came to realize that a rock wouldn't make her heart flutter with a small smile, however. Even now, following her crappy morning and increasingly exasperating afternoon, merely standing near him was helping her feel better.

"Haruhi."

She jumped a bit, broken out of her reverie by his deep voice saying her name. "Er, sorry."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm just a bit tired from shoveling myself out of my apartment this morning. Our apartment complex doesn't really bother to hire people to clean it away so we're left to do it on our own."

Mori furrowed his brow, ever so slightly. "Don't strain yourself."

Haruhi felt a blush creeping up her neck, so she quickly changed the subject. "Do you know where Kyouya-sempai is? He gave me the wrong costume."

Silently, Mori pointed to the main doors just as Kyouya walked in, calculator in hand. He seemed to be hardly paying attention to where he was walking, but he still managed to deftly avoid any obstacles in his way as he beelined for his laptop bag.

"Thanks, Mori-sempai," she said before hustling towards the Shadow King.

Mori's eyes dwelled on Haruhi's retreating back for a moment or two before he went back to watching Hunny, who still sat with his strawberry shortcake. With concern, he realized that only a small sliver of the cake was missing.

Within an hour, the host club was in full swing. Tamaki had actually been right on the money with his insistence that Ultraman's tragic story would woo the ladies, though he found that taking the helmet off to let the guests see the tears welling in his eyes allowed for maximum effect. Hikaru was declaring his incestuous love for his twin, reassuring him that he would love him no matter what physical form he took.

Kyouya made his rounds around the room, dressed as Batman. The Dark Knight was a good fit for the Shadow King, judging by the way the ladies swooned as he walked by, peering at them mysteriously from behind his mask. When Haruhi had cornered him to figure out why he went with the unusual theme, his response was that polled guests found superheroes - masked vigilantes and helmed extraterrestrials alike - to be, as he so candidly put it, arousing.

Not for the first time, Haruhi was left perplexed by her fellow females.

Shaking her head, she shifted the red helmet she cradled under her arm. Kyouya had given her a back-up costume, a rather tight-fitting Goranger costume. His only explanation for the other one she'd been given was that the twins had probably done the old switcheroo.

She supposed wearing this was better, but she had had to bind her breasts much more tightly than usual to appear as flat as possible. She felt miserable and breathing normally was a chore. However, she was mindful of her debt so she kept a small smile plastered on her face as she sipped tea with her appointed guests.

"You really look great, Haruhi-kun," one of her regulars, Yuko, gushed. "I used to watch Goranger reruns when I was little! What made you pick this cosplay?"

Haruhi took a long drink, pondering her response. "I guess... I guess the whole team aspect of the Gorangers appealed to me. Having lost my mother while so young, and because my father is always away working, I was so often alone. I always wished I had the camaraderie and companionship of the Gorangers."

Yuko and the other girls 'aww'd'. Haruhi couldn't believe how easily she'd concocted that bullshit story.

_I've been doing this for way too long._

"If you'll excuse me, ladies," she said politely, wanting to give her poor breasts a few moments of relief somewhere private.

As she started sneaking towards the restroom, she glanced over to Mori. He was still perched at the bay window, but she couldn't help but notice that he looked troubled. The change in his expression was minute, but Haruhi had done enough observation of her sempai lately to spot it.

Making her way over to him, she gently laid a hand on his broad shoulder. "Are you okay?"

He didn't respond right away. His gray eyes were trained on Hunny, who was entertaining four girls.

"Haninozuka is sick," he murmured.

"What? Are you sure?"

"He barely ate his cake."

Haruhi's mouth popped open at that. If Hunny wasn't craving sweets, something was certainly wrong. She followed Mori's line of sight, watching the small host. She could tell that something was off. He seemed to lack some of his usual bubbly energy, and from what she could tell from a distance, his facial color seemed to be pinker than normal.

For the rest of the afternoon, both Haruhi and Mori kept close watch on Hunny. He was entertaining a few regulars who had also noticed that something was wrong with their favorite host. He made such an effort to seem normal, though, that the girls didn't mention anything.

The sun was setting when the last of the host club's patrons were making their exit. Hunny unsteadily rose to his feet, fixing his slightly skewed helm with one hand while bracing himself against the couch's armrest with the other. Without a moment's delay, Mori scooped him up and felt his forehead.

"You have a fever," Mori murmured, concern plain on his face.

"I'm fine, Takashi!" Hunny protested.

Mori made a noncommittal noise. "I'm going to take you home."

Before he could take a step towards the door, Haruhi appeared next to him, shouldering both his and Hunny's bags. "Don't forget these! I'll walk with you guys."

Mori opened his mouth to protest, to say that it was too far for her to carry so much, but he caught the determined look in Haruhi's eye and realized that resistance was futile. "Okay." And with that the trio swept out of Music Room #3, only alerting the rest of host club to their exit when the doors slammed shut behind them.

* * *

A/N: Please read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for the support, you guys! Getting feedback means the world to me. Just as a heads-up, I'm more familiar with the manga than I am the anime, so some references might not make sense if you've only watched the show.

* * *

The shrill sound of her alarm clock sent Haruhi careening off her bed in a heap of blankets and tangled limbs. She groaned.

If there was one thing Haruhi Fujioka did not feel like doing right now, it was getting out of bed. The combination of shoveling herself a path from her house the day before (she really needed to get in shape) and lack of sleep had really done her in.

Reluctantly, she pushed herself to her feet and fixed her bed sheets, then looked out her small bedroom window.

"Oh, come _on_!" She cried. The snow had started again in full force. Everything she could see was coated in a thick layer of white.

In a huff, the bedraggled girl made her way into the kitchen to start preparing herself breakfast. If she attended any other school, a snow day would have been a given. But when you went to Ouran High, home of the rich and elite, all of your peers had professional drivers and all-terrain vehicles to get them safely - and comfortably - to school, no matter what the weather. The high school hadn't had a day off due to inclement weather in recent memory.

It quite literally left Haruhi out in the cold.

She sat down at the table and took a sip of coffee before digging into her oatmeal. Turning the television on to provide white noise as well as to check the Doppler radar, Haruhi began reflecting on the events of the night before.

At her own insistence, she had gone with Mori and Hunny back to the Haninozuka residence. She wasn't entirely sure why she felt compelled to, as Mori would've been more than capable of carrying his and Hunny's school bags. Maybe it was her concern for the small host, or the strange look in Mori's eyes. Probably a bit of both. She couldn't be sure.

The doctor was waiting for the patient by the time they arrived. As Hunny was being fussed over, Mori and Haruhi sat side-by-side on a couch in a comfortably furnished sitting room across the hall.

Haruhi looked up at her tall sempai. While his face remained its normal, placid mask, a small crease in his forehead was enough to tell her that he was apprehensive. Gently, she patted him on his knee. Mori started a bit, obviously being broken out of his thoughts.

"Don't worry, Mori-sempai. Hunny-sempai's in good hands," she said.

"Hn."

"And as much as I hate to say it, with a diet like his, catching the flu was inevitable. Consuming only sugar isn't going to do wonders for your immune system." Haruhi winced. "He's just lucky he's got the metabolism of a cross-country runner."

Mori didn't respond right away. When he did, it was quietly. "I should have made him eat better."

Haruhi blinked. _Is he really feeling responsible? _"You remember what happened the last time you tried to restrict Hunny-sempai's diet...right?"

"...yeah, I do."

Mori looked so..._despondent. _Haruhi caught his gaze and held it.

"Sempai, you're the most dedicated and loyal person I know and you've protected Hunny-sempai and countless other people time and time again. But you are simply not infallible. There's no way you could have prevented Hunny-sempai from getting sick."

The corner of Mori's mouth twitched. "I suppose you're right." He did his best not to let it show, but her words truly touched him. _She thinks that highly of me? _

That gave him hope that maybe his feelings weren't quite so unrequited after all.

The two of them fell into a companionable silence, sneaking the occasional glance at the other when they believed the other wasn't looking. Mori also stared at the door to Hunny's room from time to time, as though he was willing the doctor to hurry up with the check-up. Eventually it worked and the physician exited the room, shouldering his bag of supplies as he quietly closed the door behind him as to not wake the sleeping patient. He informed Haruhi and Mori that Hunny's illness was most likely a seasonal flu, exacerbated by his horrendous diet (surprising exactly no one). The small host had been prescribed bed rest for the next few days.

Haruhi glanced at the time on her cell, wincing when she realized how late it was. She still had a stack of homework left to do for the next day.

"I've got a car waiting outside. Let me take you home," Mori offered, as if reading her thoughts.

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to be a bother -"

"I don't think you're going to convince either of us that you want to walk home in this." At that, he gave her a lopsided grin. Haruhi was mortified to find herself blushing. Every time she saw her sempai smile, rare as it may be, she was always struck by how incredibly attractive he truly was.

"I-I suppose you're right. Yeah."

The ride home was mostly Haruhi going through a mental check-list of everything she needed to take care of for tomorrow. Mori must have mistaken her far-away look for a serious expression, as he softly asked her for a penny for her thoughts.

"Oh, yeah. I'm just a bit behind on my work, is all. And I never did get to stop at the grocery store - oh no!" She sat bolt upright, startling the man next to her. Their driver glanced at them in the rearview mirror with concern.

"What's wrong?" Mori asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"My coupons expired today and the store closed a half-hour ago!" She wailed, clearly distraught.

The car was quiet for a long moment. Then, abruptly, Mori burst out laughing.

"Hey! It's not funny!" Haruhi protested, but she couldn't help but smile.

Mori was only just calming down when they pulled up to her apartment complex. The driver politely held the car door open for her, which she acknowledged with a small bow. She almost felt as though she should tip him.

The wind had picked up since they had left Hunny's house, and Haruhi hunched her shoulders and angled her head down to try and ward off the chill. Carefully she made her way up the icy stairs, Mori following closely behind her, making sure she didn't slip and fall.

When she reached the door to her apartment, she turned and offered Mori some tea. He politely declined with a small shake of his head, not wanting to delay her from her homework further.

"Thanks for taking me. It was silly of me to even think of walking home," she said. A particularly strong gust of wind shook excess snow loose from the trees, as if agreeing with her.

"No problem."

For the first time that night, the silence between them was less than comfortable. Neither really wanted to leave, despite the time, and Haruhi felt that simply seeing him off with a thanks and a hearty handshake was too informal.

Not exactly sure where she found the confidence to do so, the small girl stood up on her tiptoes and gently kissed her sempai's cheek. "Good night," she whispered, then turned and let herself into the apartment before she could see the look on Mori's face.

Thinking back on the night before, Haruhi winced and put her head down on the table. What had she been thinking? Had she been _flirting_? Haruhi Fujioka didn't _flirt._ It simply just did not happen. Nope.

But then again, she was certainly not the same girl who had knocked over the vase in Music Room #3. She had changed so much from exposure to the host club, her clients, and especially, when it came to understanding matters of the heart, Mei-chan. And she really couldn't deny how much she had come to depend on Mori-sempai's companionship and tranquil presence.

But did she really want more than that?

Did Mori want what she wanted?

Not wanting to let oppressive thoughts keep her from being productive, Haruhi hurried to finish up her morning routine. Upon taking a glance at the clock, she was happy to find that not only did she have plenty of time to shovel herself a way out, but she would be able to avoid the inevitable fleet of weather-fortified vehicles that Tamaki would send her way. A ride would be probably be more practical than walking to school, but Haruhi had a stubborn streak a mile long when it came to her blonde sempai.

Bundled up and ready to go, she grabbed her snow shovel and braced herself against the cold. As she pushed open her front door, however, she was surprised to find that the snow hadn't piled up against it. In fact, it looked as though someone had very recently shoveled.

Confused but not altogether displeased, Haruhi carefully descended the stairs and glanced down the clear sidewalk. The heavily bundled man who had been kind enough to clear the way was still working.

"Good morning," she said to him as she approached. "Thanks for all of your hard work!"

He turned and replied, "you're welcome."

Though only his eyes and a few tufts of hair were visible through his hood and scarf, Haruhi instantly recognized him. "Mori-sempai?"

"Yep."

"Why are you...?"

"You shouldn't have to do this by yourself."

"But I really don't mind, I mean..." Haruhi stopped herself. She was sounding pretty ungrateful. "Really, thank you."

He nodded, shoveling the last bit of snow from the walkway. "I've got a warm car waiting to take us to school."

"About last night -" she blurted suddenly.

"What about it?" Haruhi was almost positive that he was smiling at her from the way the skin around his eyes creased. She felt her heart beat a bit faster.

She had been ready to apologize, or explain herself, or something, for kissing him like that out of the blue. But it was at that moment that she realized she didn't feel like it. And the fact that he was smiling at her... maybe he didn't need an explanation, anyway.

"I don't regret it." She said bluntly, squaring her shoulders.

"Hn."

* * *

The snow was still falling at the end of fourth period. Haruhi was gathering her books to head to her next class when the Hiitachin twins appeared on either side of her.

"Come see!" Before she even had a chance to protest, she was being dragged out of the room by both arms.

"Cut it out, will ya?" Haruhi insisted, pulling herself free.

"It's okay, this is what we wanted to show you, anyway," Kaoru said, pushing open the double doors in front of them just a crack. It was only then that Haruhi realized that she'd been brought to the cafeteria. Peering through the opening Kaoru made just to humor him, she saw Mori sitting at a table, eating his lunch. Haruhi sighed.

"Is this all?"

"No no, watch closer."

Reluctantly she did.

Mori picked up a piece of salmon with his chopsticks. Slowly he brought it to his lips, only for it to slip out of his grasp and plop back down on his tray. He glanced at the fallen food blankly before picking it up again. Once more, it slipped free. He kept doing this, occasionally looking around the room as if lost.

Haruhi couldn't believe her eyes. She'd never seen Mori so much as spill a drop of tea, let alone completely and totally zone out like that.

"I don't think he knows what to do without Hunny-sempai around," Hikaru offered, shrugging his shoulders. "He's so used to looking after him that not having that responsibility seems to have really thrown him off."

Kaoru chimed in. "Earlier today in the courtyard he bumped face-first into a pillar then kept walking like nothing had happened. Pretty bizarre."

Haruhi couldn't help but let her worry show. "It's weird, he seemed normal earlier..."

"Earlier?"

"Mmhmm, this morning he shoveled for me and brought me to school."

Kaoru ignored his twin's sputtering and mutters about how he wished he had thought of that first. "I dunno, maybe having you around was enough like Hunny-sempai that he could function normally." He patted her on the head. "You're awfully short and cute, so you make a good stand-in."

Even though they weren't said with malice, Kaoru's words stung. Maybe that was all there was between her and Mori. Maybe she had simply been letting her heart get to her head and misinterpreted his kindness as something else.

To save her from having to say anything in response, the bell rang, signaling the start of fifth period. The three scattered to get to their respective classes.

Even as she ran, Haruhi was humiliated to feel tears prick at the corners of her eyes. _Stand-in, huh? _Her pride forced her to make sure her eyes were dry before walking into the classroom.

The rest of the day moved slowly and painfully for Haruhi. In place of the meticulously neat notes that she normally took, she instead drew swirls and other random doodles. She'd given up trying to concentrate on her teacher's lecture five minutes into fifth period. She actually caught herself writing Mori's name once or twice, but she scribbled them out quickly, hoping no one had noticed.

When the bell rang to signify the end of the day, Haruhi felt as though she'd run a marathon. She could think of dozens of things she'd rather do than host at the moment, but... well, her debt wasn't going to pay itself.

When she got to Music Room #3, she found her fellow hosts - Hunny and Mori aside - standing around, still in their uniforms.

"Hello, Haruhi. Host club activities have been suspended for the day due to the inclement weather," Kyouya informed her, eyes glowing from the light of his new tablet PC. "The worst of the storm has yet to hit us, and the well-being of our customers is most important."

She glanced out the window. The snow was falling harder now, the flakes themselves large and heavy.

"No worries, my dear. Daddy will take you home!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"I might take you up on that offer, Tamaki-sempai." Stubborn streak or no, walking home in this would be foolish.

It was only then that Haruhi noticed that the person who had been crowding her thoughts all day wasn't present. "Where's Mori-sempai?"

"We saw him out front of the school," the twins supplied. "He still looked pretty zonked."

Haruhi began to worry again. Why was he outside in these horrible conditions? "I'm going to go get him," she murmured, and fled the room.

Pushing the front doors of Ouran open against the wind was a difficult task. Haruhi shivered, even under her thick coat, and continued on. Nearly all of the other students had already gone home in their heated vehicles, wanting to make it back to their secure and well-stocked mansions before Bunkyo got hit by the bulk of the storm.

"Mori!" Haruhi cried, pressing on through the snow.

Finally she caught a glimpse of Mori's dark red parka. He was standing stock still by the roadside just outside the front gateway.

"Mori!" She tried to call him again, but he was too deep in his own thoughts, staring up into the swirling snow.

Haruhi had nearly made it to him when she caught a light out of the corner of her eye. Two of them, in fact. Though dimmed by the cover of snow, she realized that they were headlights.

And they were bearing down on her and Mori.

The person driving began laying down on the horn. And it was then that Haruhi realized that they had no control over their vehicle. She could make out the faint outline of what looked to be a sports car, a lightly-colored one at that - one that should never be driven in any sort of rough weather.

It was going to be upon them in seconds. Haruhi saw Mori's head snap up at the sound of the horn, but he had no time to react.

In a moment of perfect clarity, Haruhi knew what she needed to do.

With all her strength she charged the remainder of the distance between her and her sempai, using all the force she could muster in her small body to ram into his. Her momentum was just enough to push the larger man forward.

A second before the car made contact with her, Haruhi saw that Mori lay dazed in the snow, out of harm's way.

_Oh, thank goodness._


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm so sorry about the delay in updating! The combination of Hurricane Sandy and midterms has had me barely scraping by as is, so needless to say this fell by the wayside and this chapter ended up a tad shorter than the previous two. I promise not to take so long in the future!

The response to this story has been overwhelming. To all who have read, reviewed, favorited... it means the world to me. Please enjoy!

* * *

Mori was learning the hard way he did not deal well with change.

With Hunny stuck in bed and Haruhi's smiling face constantly on his mind, Mori wasn't sure what to do with himself. He had often been able to push aside thoughts of the female host by immersing himself in his protection duty. The change in status quo, needless to say, left Mori floundering.

He had come to terms with his feelings for Haruhi some time ago, though he couldn't quite put his finger on when it had happened. Maybe it was one too many times watching Tamaki confuse his own affection for Haruhi as fatherly love. Maybe it was seeing the way Hikaru looked at Haruhi sometimes. More likely, he had to admit, he had fallen for her the moment he realized she was a girl. It seemed so long ago now.

But Mori couldn't vocalize the way he felt. That was never really what he _did. _He tried to convince himself that he was content with watching her from afar, with keeping her safe from any harm that could befall her.

It was during this train of thought that Mori slipped on an icy patch on the sidewalk and went sprawling. He managed to catch himself, just barely. Biting back a curse, he cautiously climbed back to his feet, grateful no one else was around to see his blunder. His second period class was a free period, one he usually would spend in the library studying or staring out a window somewhere. Instead, today, he had been hoping that the bitter weather would help to clear his head.

No such luck.

Mori spent the rest of his day in a contemplative daze. While mulling over what Haruhi might have meant with that kiss, he nearly broke his nose walking face-first into a pillar. Lunch was spent worrying about Hunny while weighing the pros and cons that would go along with asking Haruhi out on a date.

When the last period finally crawled to a close, Mori gathered his things, bundled himself in his down feather parka, and strode outside once more. He wasn't ready to face Haruhi just yet; he'd probably just stutter and stare and creep her out, with his current streak of luck.

The weather was atrocious and only seemed to be worsening. His fellow students streamed by him, some laughing, some groaning as they made their way to their chauffeurs. Before long, he was alone by the roadside.

Perhaps he really should just gather all of his willpower and ask Haruhi out. He couldn't afford the distraction of wondering how she really felt - what if it interfered with his duty to guard Hunny? That was probably his best course of action. He would write down what he wanted to say beforehand and practice it as no one knew better than himself that conversation was not his forte. On the other hand, though, how would the other hosts react? It was no secret he wasn't the only one in love with Haruhi. And though he was pretty certain he could live with isolating himself from Tamaki and the others, what if he ruined what he already had with her? Could he truly live with _that?_

"Mori!"

_Now I'm hearing her voice in my head, too. I think I'm losing it._

"Mori!"

A combination of hearing his name a second time and the piercing wail of an expensive car horn had him jumping to attention. To his horror, he found himself trapped in the gaze of headlights with no time to react. Before he could even brace himself for impact, something hit him in the back and sent him flying forward, skidding onto the icy road just as the car jumped up onto the sidewalk. He heard a sickening thud as the vehicle made contact with something and the screech of its tires as it tried to come to a stop further down the walkway.

Mori forced himself into a sitting position, clutching his head where it had bounced off the asphalt. Head spinning, he pushed himself to his feet and turned around to survey the scene.

When he spotted the small form of Haruhi lying face-up and motionless in the snow, his breath caught in his throat. For just a second, one small second, he felt his world falling away from him. This couldn't be happening. No, that wasn't Haruhi, this was all a mistake...

But then the moment passed and he sprinted to her, wanting to grab her up and take her somewhere warm and safe. Mori managed to keep his head, though, and didn't actually touch her. With all of her layers he couldn't easily discern her injuries and moving her would just make matters worse. One trembling hand reaching for the cell phone in his pocket and the other gently brushing wet hair from her face, he whispered, "Haruhi? Please, God, answer me."

Slowly, those beautiful brown eyes opened. Though they were glazed over with pain, her eyes met his. She made a croaking noise, voice failing her. Terror seized Mori's heart when he saw the blood staining her teeth.

"Don't try to talk. Don't try to move. Just stay awake and with me, okay?" He pulled his phone from his pocket only to see it had been ruined in the fall. Cracks spidered across the screen and the frame had been shattered to bits.

"_Fuck!_" Mori hurled the useless device into the road and clambered to his feet, looking for anyone who could help. His shouts fell on deaf ears; no one else had been foolhardy enough to brave the weather. The driver and his/her offending vehicle were long gone. Desperate, he ran gloved hands through his hair, willing himself to think through the panic. He was going to need to go for help, which would require leaving Haruhi alone, helpless, in the snow. Though he understood the necessity, the very thought of what he had to do tore at his heart. Draping his coat over her small form, Mori took off back towards the school building.

* * *

It felt odd to be lying on her back in the snow without making a snow angel. Haruhi made an effort to move her limbs to rectify that, but found her body wasn't cooperating. She wanted to stick her tongue out to catch some of the falling snowflakes but she quickly decided that that was too difficult, too. Luckily she was able to flutter her eyelashes enough to remove the snow that had accumulated there.

Staring up into the gray sky, Haruhi felt oddly at peace. The last fifteen minutes were a blurry smudge on her memory but she didn't really care enough to clear them up. Tranquility didn't come easily to her so she cherished it when she could. She really wished she wasn't so damned tired, though.

Her mom was kneeling next to her, smiling as she peered into her daughter's face. She wore, rather unseasonably, a floppy straw hat. "It's time to wake up, Haruhi. You promised you'd go with me to the market!"

_Just five more minutes, mom_, Haruhi tried to reply, but the words wouldn't come. _I'm too bushed to move just yet._

Even though she hadn't spoken, her mother seemed to understand her. "Well that won't do now, will it? I told you not to stay up so late reading."

_But I have to, so I can be like you one day._

"Enjoy being a child, Haruhi. You have the rest of your life to be like me. Now come on, up, up!"

At that, Haruhi felt something pick her off the ground. As she was seemingly hovering in midair, her mother rose before continuing to speak.

"You've got to wake up now. We'll go to the market some other time," she said kindly. "They're all waiting for you. Be strong, honey." With that, Haruhi's mother began to fade from view.

_Mom! No, wait! Mom!_

Haruhi was attempting to move once again when consciousness came crashing down on her and the pain set in.

* * *

Haruhi had begun to scream just as the EMTs had gotten her secured on the stretcher. While one of their comrades held a large black umbrella to try to keep the worst of the snow at bay, the others quickly loaded her into the back of the ambulance. Kyouya jumped in alongside them, being well-acquainted the on-call paramedic that had fortunately been riding with the ambulance when it had gotten the call.

"Meet us there," was all the Shadow King had time to say to the rest of the bystanders before the doors slammed shut and the ambulance cautiously pulled away from the curb.

When Mori had come tearing into Music Room #3 the rest of the Host Club almost hadn't recognized him. His short wet hair stuck up wildly in tufts and his eyes were filled with tears he refused to shed. His school uniform was torn and rumpled, coat noticeably missing. Once the initial shock at Mori's appearance had passed, the twins were the first ones at his side.

"Mori-sempai, are you okay?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked together, concerned yet cautious. They were treading into unknown territory here; it was rare to see Mori with his top shirt button undone, let alone disheveled to such an extent.

"I-It's Haruhi. Call an ambulance." With that, Mori had spun back around and bolted. Without another word the rest followed, Kyouya already palming his cell phone.

Tamaki had been the first to react when they arrived at the scene of the accident. With a strangled cry, he sped towards Haruhi's unmoving form with the intention of picking her up out of the road. Frantic as he was, Mori still had the sense to anticipate Tamaki's reaction and forcibly planted himself in front of their blonde leader.

"Don't touch her," Mori growled.

Kaoru reached out and took Haruhi's small wrist gently, feeling for a pulse. There was one, albeit small and thready. Haruhi's eyes remained partially open, but it was impossible to tell if she was at all conscious.

"Ambulance is on its way," Kyouya announced.

"What happened? What the fuck happened here, Takashi?" Tamaki was up in Mori's face, using the older man's first name without even thinking about it.

"Car. Out of control. It was on us in seconds. She-" Mori choked on his words, the tears he held at bay finally breaking free.

_My negligence is to blame._

Tamaki backed down and looked away, his brief spurt of anger already fizzling. He wasn't sure how to react to his sempai's rare display of emotion on top of everything else.

Nothing more was said for the next few minutes. Nothing really needed to be said. All of the Host Club members knelt around the girl in varying states of shock, no one sure quite how to react to the scene in front of them. Natural instinct had them wanting to physically protect her, to carry her out of the snow-covered street and into someplace warm, but common sense had them restraining themselves. Hikaru had been the only other person with a coat on and he lifted it over Haruhi to block the snow. None of them even felt the cold.

After what seemed to be hours, the ambulance arrived, sirens blaring. The blue and red lights washed over the solemn men as the EMTs and paramedic ever-so-gently lifted Haruhi onto the stretcher. When she began to scream, Hikaru choked out a sob and buried his head in his hands. Kaoru put a protective arm around him, at a loss.

The moment the doors slammed shut to the ambulance, Tamaki leapt into action. "I already have a car waiting. Let's go." Without waiting for an answer, he started towards the side of the building, the twins hot on his heels. Mori lagged behind a bit as he was afraid he might vomit.

_Weakling_, his inner demons accused. _Useless. Haruhi will die because of you._

"She's stronger than that," he muttered, fighting off wave after wave of nausea. Clinging to his own words like a drowning man clings to a life preserver, Mori fought on.


End file.
